Yes, courage can be learned
Intro
Your job is to change how things are done, and to change what happens. But it’s also your job to change yourself. To make the most of your life, you must learn and grow. But that takes courage, and judging by the resistance that projects invariably face, courage is in short supply. And in an increasingly uncertain world, that’s a problem.
What's the issue?
1. Courage is needed both to drive change and to face it.
2. The prevalence of resistance to change infers the need for greater amounts of courage. The problem is that to the resistant mind, there are not 2 but 3 possible outcomes in dealing with change:
For many people, the ‘don’t try, don’t fail’ option is highly appealing compared with ‘try and possibly fail’. Loss aversion theory says we are disproportionately concerned about losing something than gaining something.
3. The rate of change is increasing (think A.I.), which will generate yet higher levels of fear and anxiety in those lacking courage, resulting in yet more resistance.
4. It is generally accepted that courage is a trait you’re born with, not a skill you can learn. It’s assumed that nothing can be done about it, so nothing is done about it – which is then taken as proof that it is indeed immutable.
5. The trouble is, the courage you already have has pushed the bounds of your comfort zone to their current limits. More personal growth requires more personal courage. Without it, you’re going to get left behind, and then you’ll never know what you could have been.
Consider this
The boundary wall of your comfort zone is constructed from fear and anxiety.
Courage comes not from the elimination of fear, but of the ability to control it. One antidote to fear is Discover, where you run not away, but towards the source of your fear to understand it, in order to inform your next move.
And it comes not from the elimination of anxiety but the ability to manage it. Anxiety results from your perceived negative future state, so Mindfulness – living in the present - is its perfect antidote.
So now you’re out of your own way, and having neutralised these negatives, you’re ready for positive action:
4. Courage comes from 2 sources:
Internal, such as your purpose, values, and ambition.
External, such as to save, to support, and to solve.
Find your internal and external motivators, and you’ll find the courage to go after them. If you want a bigger belief in yourself, believe in something bigger than you are.
Try this
Find your own personal purpose. Not the company’s, yours. And don’t worry if it doesn’t immediately appear before you. Keep thinking, it will come.
And then define other internal and external drivers to further bolster your courage.